title: Implementation of an intraoperative blood transport and storage initiative and its effect on reducing red blood cell and plasma waste.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The national waste rate for hospital-issued blood products ranges from 0% to 6%, with operating room-responsible waste representing up to 70% of total hospital waste. A common reason for blood product waste is inadequate intraoperative storage.
  
  
  METHODS
  Our transfusion service database was used to quantify and categorize red blood cell (RBC) and fresh-frozen plasma (FFP) units issued for intraoperative transfusion that were wasted over a 27-month period. Two cohorts were created: 1) before implementation of a blood transport and storage initiative (BTSI)-RBC and plasma waste January 1, 2011-May 31, 2012; 2) after implementation of BTSI-RBC and plasma waste June 1, 2012, to March 31, 2013. The BTSI replaced existing storage coolers (8-hr coolant life span with temperature range of 1-10°C) with a cooler that had a coolant life span of 18 hours and a temperature range of 1 to 6°C and included an improved educational cooler placard and an alert mechanism in the electronic health record. Monthly median RBC and plasma waste and its associated cost were the primary outcomes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  An intraoperative BTSI significantly reduced median monthly RBC (1.3% vs. 0.07%) and FFP (0.4% vs. 0%) waste and its associated institutional cost. The majority of blood product waste was due to an unacceptable temperature of unused returned blood products.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  An intraoperative BTSI significantly reduced median monthly RBC and FFP waste. The cost to implement this initiative was small, resulting in a significant estimated return on investment that may be reproducible in institutions other than ours.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Anesthesiology, Systems and Procedures, and Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Division of Transfusion Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Lisa M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Button
authors.forename: Karafa S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Badjie
authors.forename: Jean M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Guyer
authors.forename: Sarah R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Dhanorker
authors.forename: Erin J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Brach
authors.forename: Pamela M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: James R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Stubbs
mesh_terms: D001803:Blood Transfusion / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004912:Erythrocytes; D006801:Humans; D008506:Medical Waste / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010949:Plasma
chemical_list: D008506:Medical Waste